Thursday 20 December 2007

How's the Boy Coming Along?

Tom in typical Christmas pose - The wasted drunk to his left is elder brother Adam

Sorry for the long silence. I particularly wanted to avoid turning this blog into a stream of news about Tom. The kind thoughts and cards I've received from you all have been magnificent, but I need to be careful not to wallow in it all. We're not the only people with problems, and many are far, far worse than ours. So I'm putting in this update purely to respond to the scores of you who've asked for news of Tom, not as more "poor me" stuff.

The return to consciousness hasn't been the eye-flicker, hand twitch and "I'm really thirsty" episode we've all seen on TV. The transition has been all but undetectable. But I think we have to agree that Tom is now conscious. He has difficulty getting control of his eyes, but once he's stopped them rolling around independently he can focus on our faces within a limited field of view. He'll also respond about 50% of the time to a request to squeeze our hands, and some questions are answered with very slight nods or shakes of the head.

Physically he's progressing well and he's now out of Critical Care.

We don't know at this stage how complete his recovery will be, but 100% is still a possibility.

Thank you again for all the wishes, hopes and prayers. You're a splendid bunch.

3 comments:

Maranta said...

Dear Jem, it is very kind of you to keep us informed. My mother advised me to be patient about news, as usually recovery takes time. It is so reassuring that Tom shows signs of improvement. He is in my thoughts and prayers and I hope he gets better every day.
My best wishes for him and all of you for Christmas and for the coming year.

Caroline said...

That's good news. He'll still have a long way to go, but it's getting in the right direction! As soon as revalidation can start, it will go better and better; I know, I'm envolved in a revalidation program for youngsters in the age of 4-16 who had either brain-surgery, or are recovering from (car)accidents.
I wish you and your family a very merry X-mas, and a happy new year. May all (and especially Tom's wishes) come true !

Rosie55 said...

You have all been in my thoughts over the holiday which has probably faded into insignificance in your current circumstances. I hope the improvements continue. Thanks for letting us know.